2025 Utah Rural Schools Conference: Full Schedule

Only Purchase One Ticket for Each Individual Attendee
Full URSA 2025 Session Schedule will be published here NO LATER than June 1. Please check back soon!

1:30pm MDT

What's New and Exciting in Adobe Express?

Wednesday July 9, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm MDT

Room #231

Adobe Express continues to evolve in innovative and exciting ways. This session will showcase the latest (and best) new features, including the amazing new mobile app, the powerful Classrooms feature, useful Google Drive and Canva integrations, how to make your own assignment templates, and more! You'll come away from this session even more ready to Express yourself with this most useful Adobe tool.

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: Not Applicable

Participants MAY FIND IT USEFUL to have one or more of the following platforms/devices during this session: Mac Laptop, Windows Laptop, Chromebook

Speakers

Rob Bentley

Instructor and UEN's Adobe Product Manager, Utah Education Network

Rob Bentley specializes in multimedia projects and resources for the classroom. He focuses on how teachers can effectively use video, images, and other media to teach their students, and also how to get students creating exciting media of their own such as educational computer games... Read More →

Wednesday July 9, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm MDT
Room #231 1750 Kearns Blvd, Park City, UT 84060

1 hour traditional lecture/audience participation, Beginner - limited to no experience; no prerequisite skills required.

Learning Strand or Track Educational Technology
Subject Area Not Applicable
Audience Teachers, Library Media Specialists
Grade Level 3 - 4, 5 - 6, Middle School / Jr. High - grades 6 - 8, High School - grades 9 - 12

2:50pm MDT

The Big Six: Designing a District-Wide Technology Strategy

Wednesday July 9, 2025 2:50pm - 3:50pm MDT

Room #231

Learn how to do more with less when it comes to technology tools. Find out how one district has enhanced student learning by focusing on specific technology tools in the classroom. By designing a district technology philosophy that encourages depth over breadth, Jordan School District is finding innovative ways to meet their district vision: Be Curious, Be Intentional, Be United. Learn more about their strategy along with DTL Administrator, Jared Covili.

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: Not Applicable

Participants MAY FIND IT USEFUL to have one or more of the following platforms/devices during this session: Mac Laptop, Windows Laptop, Android Tablet / Smartphone, iPad / iPhone, Windows Tablet / Smartphone, Chromebook

Speakers

Jared Covili

Administrator, DTL, Digital Teaching and Learning

Jared Covili is the Administrator for Digital Teaching and Learning in the Jordan School District. Jared's background is in secondary education where he was a Language Arts teacher at the secondary level. Jared received his Bachelor's degree in English and his Master's degree in Instructional... Read More →

Wednesday July 9, 2025 2:50pm - 3:50pm MDT
Room #231 1750 Kearns Blvd, Park City, UT 84060

1 hour traditional lecture/audience participation, Beginner - limited to no experience; no prerequisite skills required.

Learning Strand or Track Educational Technology, Leadership
Subject Area Leadership, Instructional Coaching
Audience District / School Administrators, EdTech Coach/Digital Teaching & Learning Specialists, Technology Coordinators / Facilitators
Grade Level Not Applicable

9:45am MDT

Leaving the Classroom for Leadership: Lessons in First Year School Leadership

Thursday July 10, 2025 9:45am - 10:45am MDT

Room #231

Most administrators start their careers as classroom teachers or educational staff, and at some point decide to move into an administrative role. This presentation draws on recent research on the experiences of first-year leadership to examine the factors that lead us to take on leadership roles, what those challenges are in our first year of leadership, and how to decide and prepare to move into leadership.

Speakers

Doug Stump

Assistant Professor - Educational Leadership, Southern Utah University

Doug Stump teaches in the Educational Leadership program at Southern Utah University. Doug has 18 years experience in Pk-12 schools as a teacher, mid-level administrator and head of school. Doug has worked with schools in Virginia, rural western New York and Texas. He has 14 years... Read More →

Thursday July 10, 2025 9:45am - 10:45am MDT
Room #231 1750 Kearns Blvd, Park City, UT 84060

1 hour traditional lecture/audience participation

Learning Strand or Track Leadership
Audience District / School Administrators

11:10am MDT

Lessons in Leadership from the Culture Code

Thursday July 10, 2025 11:10am - 12:10pm MDT

Room #231

Discover how to create a thriving school culture with insights from Daniel Coyle's best-seller, The Culture Code. This presentation is designed for educators, instructional coaches, and school leaders who want to improve their leadership skills. By understanding the importance of safety, vulnerability, and purpose, you can create an environment where people feel comfortable taking risks, sharing ideas, and working towards a common goal.

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: Not Applicable

Participants MAY FIND IT USEFUL to have one or more of the following platforms/devices during this session: Not Applicable

Speakers

Dani Sloan

EdTech Instructor, Utah Education Network

Dr. Dani Sloan helps educators lead, research, and teach digital citizenship. She's a UEN Product Manager, U of U Instructor, former Elementary Teacher, and current mom to a sixth grader. She's passionate about preparing students for a digital world, her dachshunds, and terrible reality... Read More →

Thursday July 10, 2025 11:10am - 12:10pm MDT
Room #231 1750 Kearns Blvd, Park City, UT 84060

1 hour traditional lecture/audience participation, Beginner - limited to no experience; no prerequisite skills required.

Learning Strand or Track Leadership
Subject Area Leadership
Audience District / School Administrators, EdTech Coach/Digital Teaching & Learning Specialists, Instructional Coaches
Grade Level All Grade Levels

1:40pm MDT

Leading Off the Grid: Innovation and Leadership in Rural Schools

Thursday July 10, 2025 1:40pm - 2:40pm MDT

Room #231

Leading in a rural or remote school requires creativity, resilience, and a strong sense of community. This session explores the realities of living and working "off the grid"—from navigating staffing challenges and teacher retention to maximizing limited resources through creative scheduling, spending, and space-sharing. Participants will learn how rural principals are building strong support systems through mentorship, district collaboration, and innovative leadership strategies. Discover how cafeterias become cultural centers, gyms serve multiple purposes, and every staff member wears multiple hats. This is real-world leadership in action—rural style—with ideas you can take home, no matter your zip code.

Speakers

Jenna Olson

Principal, Monticello Elementary

Jenna Olson is a highly motivated and self-directed educator with extensive experience in both teaching and school administration. Currently serving as the principal at Monticello Elementary School, she has successfully led the school through post-COVID challenges, fostering a thriving... Read More →

Jenny Atcitty

Heather Amado

Principal, Tse' Bii 'Nidzisgaii Elementary

Thursday July 10, 2025 1:40pm - 2:40pm MDT
Room #231 1750 Kearns Blvd, Park City, UT 84060

1 hour traditional lecture/audience participation

Learning Strand or Track Leadership
Audience District / School Administrators

3:10pm MDT

From One Spark to a System: Scaling MTSS in Remote Schools

Thursday July 10, 2025 3:10pm - 4:10pm MDT

Room #231

This session highlights how a strong MTSS framework took root in one rural elementary school and organically expanded to two others, driven by innovative leadership and a commitment to student success. Through intentional data meetings, collaborative planning, and school-specific adaptations, each site shaped the intervention system to meet its unique needs. Crucial to this process was the ongoing support from district leadership and instructional coaches, who provided guidance, resources, and consistency across sites. Participants will explore how shared leadership, teacher voice, and data-driven decision-making created sustainable, flexible systems that led to measurable growth—even in the most rural settings.

Speakers

Jenna Olson

Principal, Monticello Elementary

Jenny Atcitty

Heather Amado

Principal, Tse' Bii 'Nidzisgaii Elementary

Thursday July 10, 2025 3:10pm - 4:10pm MDT
Room #231 1750 Kearns Blvd, Park City, UT 84060

1 hour traditional lecture/audience participation

Learning Strand or Track Leadership
Audience District / School Administrators

11:00am MDT

ELL as a Foreign Language

Friday July 11, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT

Room #231

In many schools, the ELL class is treated as a throwaway class, with students put on a “program” and expected to learn English. Your ELL students deserve to be given a class centered on learning the English Language. Come see how a Teaching Second and Foreign Languages trained teacher arranges her classroom to put English Language Instruction front and center. All available resources will be shared with you for immediate implementation in your classrooms.

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: Not Applicable

Participants MAY FIND IT USEFUL to have one or more of the following platforms/devices during this session: Mac Laptop, Windows Laptop, Android Tablet / Smartphone, iPad / iPhone, Windows Tablet / Smartphone, Chromebook

Speakers

Maggie Grindstaff

Science 8 and ELL Teacher, Ephraim Middle School

Maggie trained as a TSFL teacher and has taught ESL in Guatemala as well as adult education ESL classes in several states before becoming an ESL and Bilingual teacher in Texas and Spanish classes in Louisiana. Now back in Utah, she focuses on using all available resources to teach... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Room #231 1750 Kearns Blvd, Park City, UT 84060

1 hour BYOD (Bring Your Own Device): Hands-On-Activities, Beginner - limited to no experience; no prerequisite skills required.